


Little Red Wagon

by strykelass



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 07:23:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8966686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strykelass/pseuds/strykelass
Summary: Seth is a cry baby from the suburbs and Dean's a scrappy kid from subsidized housing. Christmas gift for Kenjideath





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kenjideath](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenjideath/gifts).



Seth's house was less than six blocks away from Dean's. A walk through the alley, then across the main road and through the park that divided the two neighborhoods. Dean's mother worked all day and never asked what he did to occupy his time during the summer, so once he woke up around eleven, he'd roam and wander, letting his mind invent some narrative for himself.

Since AJ, the boy that lived across the street, had tried to run him over with a mountain bike, Dean had been avoiding his own neighborhood. Everyone around was older than him and he was constantly on alert for strangers yelling. He hated it.

But now that he'd found the more affluent side of the area, Dean knew Seth. Their friendship was strange, but very convenient. Seth had a trampoline with no holes in it, a refrigerator full of all sorts of brand name goods, and parents that seemed nothing but encouraging.

Dean seemed to be Seth's only friend, so Seth held onto that tightly.

"I told mom I don't want to go to camp." He admitted one day, staring up at the sky with Dean while they laid on his trampoline. "I don't even like going and they said they didn't have enough money to bring you with me."

"What?" Dean scrunched up his face, staring at his friend. "...How long is camp?"

"A week."

"Oh."

Dean was eleven and Seth was nine. Dean only had a few shirts to wear, and most of them were too big. His hair was overlong and scruffy, his shoes were worn down so much that the laces had frayed to shreds.

Seth by comparison, was very neat and small. His hair was long, but Dean knew he got it cut regularly. He had long sleeve shirts and wind jackets for colder days, and soft skin that definitely got a thick coat of sunscreen before they played outside all day.

More often than not, they would just eat snacks and jump on the trampoline. Or, play in the front yard with a ball. Seth loved winning at everything, so much so that he often tried to cheat. While Dean was happy just to be involved, he never let Seth get away with anything that was at the expense of his own win.

"I got to here!" Seth patted the sand on the playground where his feet where sitting. They were seeing who got the most air out of going down the slide. Dean squinted, he'd suggested at first that they jump off the swings, but Seth was too scared.

"No you didn't, you scooched over." Dean tapped the ground where Seth had actually landed. "Admit it, I beat you."

Seth would always pout, sometimes to the point of crying. This time, He drew his knees up to his chest and balled up, unwilling to see his friend. Dean didn't even care. The only thing that got Seth out of tantrums was if he went to the gas station and got them snacks with the money Seth's mother had gotten them.

Seth himself sat outside the store, brooding. Not only was he emotional about losing, but scared of going into the store without any parents.

"It was only three dollars for Gatorades," Dean said plainly, sticking a plastic bag against Seth's face. "Let's walk through the park."

Seth dried whatever tears were still on their faces and they crossed the street, drinking and eating from the bag. Dean definitely thought Seth was weird, knew that he was a bit of a crybaby and a sore loser, but Dean thought he was weird too, so it was fine.

"We should go to your house sometime." Seth said, "My mom won't let me watch any tv so we could watch it."

"I don't have TV." Dean laughed, kicking a rock across the sidewalk. "My place is boring and stupid."

"Well, my dad keeps asking where you live and stuff." Seth sighed. "I think he wants to organize something where we can play during school times, at both of our houses."

"Tomorrow we should take your wagon to the golf course and ride it on the hills." Dean said, trying to change the subject. He grinned widely, staring at Seth. "Let's do that."

The next day, Dean got up at the usual time and put on his clothes, grabbing a piece of bread to eat on the way out. The sky had a few clouds, but on the whole it was sunny and warm. Making his way across the main road and up the street to where the house was, Seth was already outside, holding onto the wagon with his mother.

"Hello Dean," She said sweetly. "Before I go run errands, I just wanted to get your itinerary for what you boys wanted to do. Seth doesn't seem to  _ know _ ."

Dean looked between Seth's mother and his friend, who appeared bashful and uncomfortable. Dean swallowed, Seth's mom probably wouldn't approve of what they were going to go do.

"What an itinerary?"

"Oh sorry," She laughed. "What's the  _ gameplan _ ?"

"Rocks." Dean said stupidly. "We're going to go find rocks."

"Where at?"

"The… park…" Dean gestured vaguely.

"What kind of rocks were you going to find?"

Seth looked at the ground and Dean squinted.

"Whatever… rocks we see."

"I should go get that geology book in your father's study. Wouldn't that be nice Seth?" She squeezed her son's shoulder. "I'll pack you a bag of sandwiches and then tonight you can show me all the different rocks you got."

" _ Damn _ your mom's a cop." Dean laughed as Mrs. McMahon made her way back into the house, leaving the boys alone. "You still excited to go?"

"How far is it?" Seth asked quietly, his brown eyes looking unsure. Dean shrugged.

"Less than a mile. I dunno."

Seth pulled some money out of his pocket in the form of crumpled dollar bills.

"I'll give you three if you pull me there."

The wagon was new enough where it had no trouble easily sliding along the sidewalk down the street. Dean pulled on the front, grasping the handle tightly while Seth sat cross legged, holding onto the sides. Occasionally the terrain would dip slightly and the wagon would pick up speed, but Seth just giggled, watching Dean run ahead.

When they finally arrived at the edge of the golf course, Dean was sweating and tired, but excited. They crossed through a few trees and came onto the green, treading carefully. No one appeared to be around.

"That hill-" Dean pointed, ushering for Seth to get out of the wagon so he could pull it up the grass. Seth frowned, apprehensive

"It's super fun." Dean nodded, sticking his feet on the wagon and standing on it, holding the handle in his hands. "Promise me you're gunna do it."

"If you do it first." Seth said, standing slightly pigeon-toed. Dean leaned forward and quickly he was flying down the hill, laughing and screaming as the wagon barrelled ahead, jittering hard on the grass. At the bottom, Dean jumped out, running a few paces as the wagon slowed to a stop maybe twenty feet away. Seth blinked.

"You gotta do it! Don't be a little bitch about it!"

"I wasn't gonna!" Seth shook his head. "I mean, I'm  _ gonna _ !"

He pulled the wagon up the hill and Dean was grinning ear to ear, watching his friend set the wheels of the wagon right where Dean had gone down. He stood for a moment in the base of the little vehicle before shaking his head, eyes wide.

"I'm sitting." He declared, Dean rolled his eyes, folding his arms. Seth stuck one foot out to push him down, and slowly curved over the side of the hill.

Almost immediately, it went wrong. Seth's foot had trouble getting back into the wagon and Dean watched as he struggled, picking up speed quickly, but unable to brace properly. Just as the wagon hit the lowest part of the hill, Dean scrambled closer, sure that Seth wasn't going to lean his weight back far enough. He watched, as though in slow motion, Seth's flying over the front, skidding on his knees as the wagon flew over him.

"Oh shit, Seth-"

Dean jerked as he heard Seth's blood curdling wail, tears immediately pouring down his face as he lay crumpled in the grass. Dean grabbed him quickly, turning him over and grimacing at the grass stains and blood down his legs.

"Shh-tsh, don't yell!"   


"It hurts!" Seth screamed, "I want my mommy, I need to go to the hospital!"

"No you don't- stop." Dean sat him down, "You need bandaids, that's it."

"It hurts!" Seth cried, smearing dirt on his cheek as he went to wipe his eye. "I broke my legs!"

"No you didn't," Dean insisted, honestly not sure. He knew that Seth was want to cry over just about anything, he had no idea how much pain he was actually in. "You're just scared."

"No I'm not!" Seth shrieked. Dean went to go grab the wagon, sure that their voices would be heard.

"We need to go."

He encouraged Seth to stand as best as he could, relieved to see him moving by himself. He whimpered and wailed, but Dean got him back into the wagon. The gashes on his knees were already closing up, though Seth wouldn't stop crying even after they were three blocks away from the golf course.

Near the main road, people were starting to stare, unsure whether they should intrude upon whatever was happening with the boys. Dean looked around, trying to think if they should find a restroom or ask a stranger for help. He squinted, a chorus of whining tears filling his head.

"We'll go to the gas station, ok?" He settled, waiting for the walk sign so he could pull the wagon across the road. "I'll buy bandaids and then we can go to the bathroom and you can clean up your legs."

"I-I-"

Dean stopped, taking a steadying breath and looking at Seth, exasperated.

"I-I- don't wanna go in there!" He wailed. "Mommy-Mommy would be mad!"

"Your mom would be mad if she knew we went to the golf course! Why does this-" Dean let out a groan, unable to scold his friend any longer. Seth looked pathetic, covered in dirt and scuffed up. His hair was a mess and had half fallen out of the little bun in the back of his head.

Eyes wide and red from all the crying, he kept wiping his nose on his arm.

"Fine, ok?" Dean sighed, "Look- my house is closer here. We'll get band aids and then go to my house, ok?"

"Mn-ok." Seth nodded, sniffling.

Looking rather suspicious with dirty hands foisting over crumpled bills to buy bandaids, the gas station clerk offered to give him free first aid supplies from the store's personal stock. Outside, an old man began asking Seth what was wrong, which only made him cry harder, afraid of strangers.

"We're ok." Dean said, waving the man off. "I got you a snow cone because I got free stuff."

He'd never seen anyone cry while eating a snow cone before, but Seth seemed to have more tears than normal human beings. They crossed the last few streets to Dean's neighborhood, wagon thudding hard on the cracks in the concrete. He kept a careful eye out for AJ or any of the other neighborhood boys, Dean wouldn't go down without a fight, but he knew if they saw the wagon, they might try to steal it.

"You have to get out so I can carry it up the stairs." Dean hissed in a low whisper, looking around his street. Seth paused his crying, holding his dripping snow cone and the box of bandaids, looking confused.

"It- h-h-urts-" he seethed, wobbling to plop down on the steps in front of the house, hands trembling over his knees. Dean heaved, pulling the wagon into his front door, dirty tires marking up the floor.

"I don't think I can carry you, can you walk?" He asked, rubbing sweat off his forehead. Seth whimpered, feebly trying to stand. Dean sighed and offered him a piggy back.

Luckily, Seth was light. Light enough where he could get him through the house and to the bathroom without much trouble. He knew his house was beat down and miserable looking, Dean's mom didn't really decorate or own much of anything. The bathroom was bare, they didn't have any shower curtains or a rug, so Dean put Seth down to sit on a towel.

"The gas station lady said we need to wash it." Dean said, running water from the sink. "I don't really have soap, but the box has the little wipe-y things."

Seth looked around and Dean bit his lip, he'd finally stopped crying but he was looking around at the peeling linoleum strangely. Dean pulled the wipes out and came closer, determined to help.

"I can do it." Seth said softly, wiping the tears out of his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's-" Dean blinked. "You're sorry, why?"

"I fell." Seth mumbled. "And I cried."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Seth shrugged, sniffing slightly. "Sorry."

**Author's Note:**

> Kenjideath is a lovely person. They beta To The Rescue weekly and she's an excellent writer herself. 
> 
> Happy Holidays to everyone!


End file.
